Looking at the world Without Masks

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May 5, 2014

Racism isn’t always easy to identify. Dr. Nuno Porto, curatorial liaison for Without Masks, hopes that this exhibition at the Museum of Anthropology dealing with Afro-Cuban social issues such as racism and exclusion can shed light on our own society and help us reflect on our situation.

“Racism is a universal issue in a sense,” he said, explaining that although there was a revolution in Cuba and many things changed, “racism is not over in contemporary Cuba.”

When Cuba was a Spanish colony in the early 16th century, explained Porto,“the Spanish exterminated the indigenous population. The population is not recognized as being part of the nation in a sense. Afro-Cuban art practice reflects that.”

First shown in Johannesburg and taken from a large private collection, this exhibit includes over 80 artworks by a diverse set of artists. The artists have very different ways of approaching the social issues. Some pieces are humorous and ironic, and some are more serious and ethnographic or spiritual in their social commentary.

“There is a tension between the different media and attitudes that makes for a diverse and enriching experience,” said Porto. “There is painting, photography, textile work, drawing, engraving, collage, installations, video, you name it. It’s very diverse in terms of media.”

One large work is done on a canvas made entirely of old coffee and sugar sacks to represent the slavery on the plantations. Written on the canvas are the words: “what is difficult is not to be a man, what is difficult is to be black.”

Some of the works are very large and intense, including a series of lithograph prints by Belkis Ayón. Ayon works with the themes of her double exclusion as a black female. Porto described her works as highly poetic saying they are “like plunging into a different universe. They’re hypnotic.”

One unique thing about the exhibition is that it is organized by the principles of Afro-Cuban culture, not by specific idea or themes. “It is organized from eldest to youngest, so the ancestors are first.” Three prominent Afro-Cuban artists who are now deceased are placed at the front of the gallery, drawing the audience in to see the works by younger artists. Porto explained that the public gets acquainted progressively with the artworks, and the works demand that they face these issues.

The setting for this exhibition is the Museum of Anthropology’s Audain Gallery, a large white cube. A gallery space is usually meant to be disconnected from the outside world, explained Porto. “The idea is that the outside world should not come in, but we have a series of artworks that are the outside world coming in.” With all their social commentary, Porto sees these works as a series of windows into other realities. “It’s food for thought both aesthetically and politically,” he said.

Porto said that there is a lot we can take away from this exhibition in terms of reflecting on social issues in our own region. As he read about the statistics of how much of the homeless population in Vancouver is First Nations, that resonated with him as relating to this show. “You can think it has nothing to do with racism,” he said, “or you can look at it without masks.”

Sometimes it takes removing the mask of our own perspective and looking elsewhere to come back to our own world with a better understanding of how these issues relate to us, and maybe we realize that they aren’t so unfamiliar.

Without Masks: Contemporary Afro-Cuban Art is presented by UBC’s Museum of Anthropology (MOA) from May 2 to November 2, 2014. Visit moa.ubc.ca for more details about the exhibition and related events.

A short history of the 3D printer

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EIC

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May 5, 2014

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Guys, the future is here. And it prints houses.

Okay, okay, some context. Like many of you, I reacted to the first mention of 3D printers, or additive manufacturers, with confusion and bewilderment. After all, my main concept of what a printer is comes from the bulky behemoths in the SFU library — how could anything like that ever print something in three dimensions?

Turns out they aren’t really that similar to your average 2D printer. They’re really industrial robots that build 3D models from virtual prototypes through an additive process, where the machine builds layer upon layer in a given shape and material until an object is formed. It’s a little like layering a cake, but way cooler. Naturally, the possibilities are endless, and a little spooky.

Most recently, these machines have been in the news after a Chinese corporation used them to build 10 one-story homes in a single day. An eco-friendly mix of cement and construction waste was used to layer the walls of the tiny, industrial homes, saving labour and money. There’s no telling the future potential of 3D printers in the world of architecture — builders and architects can program in the exact proportions of the structures they want to build, and the machine will recreate the digital models. This could even ease the problem of homelessness, making housing easier and cheaper to build.

But it isn’t just the world of architecture that the 3D printer promises to turn inside out. These printers have already done wonders for the world of medicine, and they’re only getting more sophisticated.

One team of scientists at Philadelphia’s Drexel University is currently developing a system wherein the printers can be used to recreate cancerous tumours in a lab setting. The scientists can test possible treatments for these cancerous cells, which bear a much closer resemblance to actual tumours than their usual 2D petri dish counterparts and respond more closely to the way actual cancer patients’ bodies do. This process, called bioprinting, uses cells as building blocks to recreate organisms that behave just like the real thing. I know, right?

The possibilities of 3D printers are endless, and a little spooky.

Elsewhere, at the University of Louisville, a team of researchers is trying to create a functional human heart from synthetic materials in a 3D printer. This might sound too space age for you, but it’s not that farfetched: these printers have already been used extensively to create splints, valves, artificial bones, prosthetic hands and legs — even a functional human ear.

Apart from building homes and rebuilding human bodies, 3D printers also hold plenty of promise for the rest of the world. One lab in Togo, Africa has started a campaign to use the country’s excess of e-waste to print medical tools and other essentials for its population. Artists have also gotten on the 3D printing bandwagon: the printers can be used to build all manner of sculptures, jewelry, and other items, without the hassle of purchasing tools or using a workshop.

The printers are also a dream for the fashion world, as fabrics can be used to make clothing, shoes, scarves, hats — pretty much anything — without ever actually picking up a needle and thread. A printer designed at the Carnegie Mellon University was recently introduced that functions as a hybrid between an additive manufacturer and a sewing machine, simplifying the process that takes designs from the drawing board to dresses on the runway. Just imagine having one of these babies in your walk-in closet.

For now, consumer accessibility seems like the only big obstacle in the rise of 3D printers. They’re much cheaper and more efficient now than they’ve ever been, but a good quality one will still cost you upwards of $1,000; and that’s not counting the materials you’ll need to actually build anything. Not to mention, they’re not exactly the easiest things to use. Plenty of sites have downloadable templates for designs, for everything from dishware to dresswear, but in order to customize what you print, you’ll need to be at least a little tech savvy. You might even have to be a geek.

But hey, it’s not all bad! In the last few years, the prices of personal 3D printers have pretty much plummeted, while their practical uses — and consumer demand — have seemingly skyrocketed. Experts predict about a 200 per cent growth in the market within the next four years, which means it might not be too long before your wealthier, geekier friends start buying printers of their very own.

While 3D printers might not be a great investment for your apartment just yet, it’s hard to deny that they have a whole lot of potential, and not just for the average Joe or Jane. These futuristic contraptions have already made huge waves in the world of medicine, and saved more than a few lives in the process.

They also promise plenty of possibilities for safer, more environmentally conscious industrial growth, as well as helping developing nations to make food and shelter. You may have heard of the 3D printer designed to make pizza, brownies and other goods for astronauts. Who’s to say they can’t be used to help combat hunger in poorer areas of the world? These printers can also be used to print “smooth” food for the elderly, who may have trouble digesting most foods.

There’s no question that there are downsides to these printers (mostly do to with their ability to build military weapons and drones), but they’ve already proven their capacity to help make the world a better place. At the end of the day, it’s not just the tools themselves — it’s how we use them. Here’s hoping it’s for good.

Always look on the bright side of life

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EIC

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May 5, 2014

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The Arts Club’s upcoming show has the tagline, “lovingly ripped off” from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. For true Python fans, fret not, the book and lyrics for Spamalot were written by Eric Idle. However, if you don’t even know what or who this Monty Python person is, Spamalot also parodies well-known Broadway musical tropes.

“We’re taking liberties with the movie and poking fun at the Broadway musical genre,” explains director Dean Paul Gibson. The premise of the play follows the movie where King Arthur travels the land to recruit Knights of the Round Table to Camelot. Silliness ensues as they meet the Knights Who Say Ni, lewd French soldiers, and evil rabbits.

“I’m not going to mess around with a brand like Monty Python,” states Gibson, who grew up watching Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Even though the show has been off the air since 1974, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail came out in 1975, the Python influence and style continues to entice fans.

Monty Python has become part of global popular culture, spreading from Britain. “It is still popular and enduring,” says Gibson, “but we’ve put our own stamp on it while maintaining its Pythonesque appeal.”

Arts Club artistic manager Bill Millerd approached Gibson with a couple of options for the 50th anniversary season and he jumped at the chance to direct Spamalot.

“It’s great because I get to work on all different types of productions,” said Gibson. He started choosing his creative team and they’re currently in rehearsals. The production crew includes musical director Kim Cormier and choreographer Lisa Stevens, who Gibson worked with on Xanadu in July 2012.

“It’s a big show and the actors all have particular strengths,” says Gibson, noting that David Marr is an Arts Club veteran and leading lady Terra C. MacLeod made a big splash in the Arts Club production of West Side Story last year.

The title is taken from a line in the film: “We dine well here in Camelot / We eat ham and jam and Spam a lot / We’re Knights of the Round Table.” The 2005 Broadway production received 14 Tony Award nominations and won three, including Best Musical. It has been produced across the globe and pokes fun at well-known plays such as Fiddler on the Roof and Phantom of the Opera.

Spamalot will inevitably include the requisite amount of smut, sacrilege, and general silliness we expect from a Python show. So grab your coconuts and practice your “Ni!”

The Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of Monty Python’s Spamalot will run May 8 to June 29 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. Tickets and show times available at artsclub.com.

Being a “B” student vs. shaming “A” students

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EIC

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May 5, 2014

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Woohoo: being a “B” student

I’m probably adhering to common conception when I say that it’s best to be a “B” student.

“B” students stay in the groove of academic achievement. Being one requires enough hard work to keep oneself at or above the median, but still allows one enough time to live a life outside of school.

And this life outside of school is necessary to having a life after post-secondary. Outside of the school world is where one learns to be social in a less-stressful atmosphere, and how to operate in a workplace, most notably. Moreover, consider that the vast majority of people in the world don’t operate in the school environment.

Being a “B” student emphasizes the importance of living dedicated to simply enjoying, rather than conquering, conquering every grade and every obstacle. These students know how to relax in the shade and breathe.

Safe to say, “B” students are probably on the right track.

Boohoo: shaming “A” students

Disagreement makes the world go around, but shaming sucks. Don’t be a shamer.

So “A” students are different. Others need to respect that they take their own route to success, which, for them, happens to be on the academic level.

Try to think about it from their point of view: they might feel compelled to achieve perfection, perhaps due to a repressed memory of a childhood failure of some sort. Maybe they see every “A” as a physical manifestation of proving their overbearing fathers wrong.

Or perhaps they enjoy getting high grades and attaining knowledge; maybe they see that education doesn’t stop life, but rather is a part of life.

It takes all sorts of people to inhabit the world, “A” and “B” students included. And learning to get along is another step toward world peace.

Heck, anyways, “A” students are probably trying hard just to suffer through grad school. Don’t give them your shame! Give them your deepest sympathy.

Scarlett Johansson gets under your skin

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EIC

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May 5, 2014

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Happily, neither the cool reception of Jonathan Glazer’s masterpiece Birth, nor its lack of well-deserved critical rehabilitation in the intervening decade, have dulled the director’s approach to the intertwining mysteries of love and power.

Under the Skin is another role reversal of predators: it follows a lone alien invader (Scarlett Johansson) who, in the guise of a beautiful human woman, seduces men to her home, where their organs are harvested in an inky black void.

It is a film that demands attentive eyes and sharp ears. Its plot beats are not delivered through words, but through a careful succession of images rich in narrative and thematic implication. Its emotional payoffs don’t come through anguished closeups, but through an aesthetic schema that mixes calculated compositions with abstracted imagery, lush ambience with the thin, shivering strings of Mica Levi’s score.

Its first hour functions largely as a low-key horror film, and the second as a tragic, almost domestic drama. A sort of chill runs throughout, but it is the cold of loneliness and sorrow, not detachment.

Emphasis on filmic devices at the exclusion of theatrical or literary norms often lands a film the tag of “clinical,” but this can be camouflage for a lack of engagement with cinematic grammar. Under the Skin is a prime example of how its medium’s devices can work on their own, autonomous from the traditions of older art forms.

That separation from familiar means of storytelling is at once integral to its effect (physical alienation) and wholly scrutable. In a key scene — the film’s most important story beat — countless orange, kaleidoscopic images of day-to-day human life are superimposed over Johansson’s face, and the unnerving violin that dominates the score gives way to warm electronic tones. It’s exemplary of narration through abstraction, and yet it’s not a hard moment to read, especially contextually.

So the film allows its alien to stay alien, free of histrionics or the tropes of human emotions (unless you count having emotions as a trope) and, so long as we invest in trying to understand her, makes for a surprisingly engaging and sympathetic character. So when the film’s inevitable and tragic role reversal occurs, we’re just as troubled by the danger facing her as we are by our sympathy for someone whom we’ve seen horrifically murder several people.

Therein lies the power of the film’s allegory for sexual politics: it asks how we can condemn someone who truly does not know better — who, in fact, seems to have been engineered not to know better — without playing down the tragedy of its central crimes.

There is one scene where dialogue holds substantive importance. The alien picks up a man with severe facial disfigurement, who admits that he has no friends and only goes out at night to escape ignorance and judgment.

As the two talk with each other, their words betray more than they intend, and it becomes clear that his disease and her immaculately mounted appearance are two sides of the same coin. She knows it too, and her decision at the end of the sequence is at once one of the film’s most touching, mysterious, and disquieting moments.

How to Clean Hands with Sanitizer

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EIC

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May 5, 2014

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What to do with the Senate?

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May 5, 2014

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It’s amazing how much can happen when Parliament takes a break. Pierre Poilievre is backtracking on his much maligned Fair Elections Act after months of criticism from within and without; the nation has been rocked by news of the allegations of abuse surrounding the temporary foreign work program; and only a few short weeks ago, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously decided in favour of retaining the Senate in its current form, that of unelected representatives.

That’s right, despite last year’s scandal the Supreme Court has declared that Parliament cannot alter the makeup of the Senate to introduce term limits or change the appointment process in order to make the Senate a body of elected representatives.

This is a crushing blow both to the government and the Canadian people, as Senate reform has been a goal of Stephen Harper long before he was our Prime Minister. Furthermore, a poll from June 2013 shows that 49 per cent of Canadians wanted Senate reform while 41 per cent were in favour of outright abolition of the upper chamber, suggesting that 90 per cent of Canadians were disappointed by the announcement.

A recent poll suggests that 90 per cent of Canadians want the Senate changed or abolished.

Though technically not impossible, reforming the Senate would be extremely difficult. As written out in the Canadian Constitution, an amendment of this magnitude requires a passing vote in both the House of Commons and the Senate, but must also pass a vote in seven of the 10 provincial legislatures, and those seven must represent at least 50 per cent of the Canadian population. You don’t need to be very politically aware to know how unlikely this is, as the provinces of our country rarely agree on anything, and have already taken up several positions across the board in regards to the issue.

Abolition of the Senate, long a part of the NDP platform and Harper’s fallback if reform was no longer an option, is even more outside the realm of possibility. The Supreme Court declared that the abolishment of the Senate would fall under the unanimity procedure for amending the Constitution.

That name, by the way, is completely accurate: abolishing the upper house would require unanimous votes to do so from the Senate itself (unlikely to vote itself out of existence) and all the provinces.

While some have suggested that the issue could be forced by the Prime Minister refusing to appoint additional senators once currently sitting members retire, this is no solution. Canadian senators serve until the age of 75, so even if we did this, the youngest Senator is not scheduled to retire until 2045, when I’ll be 60. Even barring the extreme length of time, this would further serve to undermine our current democratic process, leaving regions of the country underrepresented in the Senate.

The only party viewing this decision as a victory are the Liberals; Justin Trudeau seems now to be reaping the benefits of his daddy’s work in making the Constitution nearly impossible to amend. With the Conservative’s having lost hope in reforming the Senate, and the NDP’s plan of abolition relegated to the realms of impossibility, Trudeau now finds himself in the rare position of being the only leader with an option for Senate reform, even if it’s a terrible one. I have said it before: having independent senators chosen by an “impartial” committee only undermines our democracy by taking power from the people.

While our current system is not perfect, at least appointees are chosen by an elected official, and I’d rather leave the Senate as is than hand power for the selection of its members to more unelected officials.

With the senate, we’re left in an undeseriable situation that no one quite knows how to resolve.

Past one’s prime at 24

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EIC

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May 5, 2014

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A cognitive science study being conducted at SFU is making waves across the country with the claim that cognitive functions begin to decline at the age of 24. In other words, many SFU students are nearing their cognitive peak, and it’ll be downhill from there!

Joe Thompson, an SFU doctoral student of psychology, has been working under professor Mark Blair to study cognitive abilities in the video game StarCraft 2. This game was able to provide compelling data from the complex tasks the players must face, such as strategic planning and quick threat analysis.

Using analysis from over 3,305 StarCraft 2 players, researchers found that cognitive functions including perception, mental processing, and physical response time trend steadily upwards from ages 16 to 24, after which they begin to slow down.

In-game actions and player reaction times were measured in terms of the different cognitive functions that might rely on speed. Thompson equates the study’s primary measurement of speed to the time between a player looking at a specific location within the game and acting on something in that environment.

Perception, mental processing, and physical response time trend steadily upwards from ages 16 to 24.

The results showed, for example, that the difference in response time for 24-year old player compared to a 39-year old player is about 150 milliseconds. The competitive computer game was selected based on the range of ages and skill levels demonstrated by its players, which supported the idea that a younger age might outweigh other advantages such as experience.

Thompson says this research proves “early adulthood is not a boring period where skills are maintained by a stable set of cognitive abilities.” Instead, he believes skills developed within the video game are created and maintained by one’s cognitive ability to adapt to the evolving and challenging game atmosphere.

Not all hope for cognitive progression is lost for us “old folk.” As seen in the research, players of more advanced ages seemed to compensate for their differences in speed with other skills; therefore, the changes in speed do not necessarily act as a loss. If older players are able to make better and more efficient use of the game’s interface, they can adapt to their cognitive differences from younger players.

Researchers believe they can translate the data from this study to examine the effects of age on our cognitive abilities, in ways not only specific to our digital lives.

Trailing NHL teams should pull goalies earlier

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EIC

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May 5, 2014

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In game one of the Colorado–Minnesota series on April 17, the Avalanche were down 3-2 with three minutes left on the clock — so Colorado head coach Patrick Roy pulled his goalie. They scored once with the extra attacker before winning 4-3 in overtime.

If you follow hockey, you might not necessarily call the move shocking, but goalie-pulling is a tactic usually left to the last minute, or maybe the last minute and a half. However, SFU’s Tim Swartz, a professor in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, who specializes in sports analytics, believes Roy’s strategy should be the norm.

In a paper co-authored with David Beaudoin, an assistant professor at Laval University, Swartz stated that a team down by one goal would do best by pulling their goalie with three minutes left.

While three minutes is a comfortable average, Swartz suggests that coaches should not restrict themselves to pulling their goalies at the end of the game. Instead, they should do so when the opportunity is ripe, such as when their team is awarded a power play and, thus, a man advantage. For example, as a junior coach, Roy once pulled a goalie with 17 minutes remaining in the game.

A team down by one goal would do best by pulling their goalie with three minutes left.

“It may or may not work out for you,” stated Swartz, explaining that pulling the goaltender does not guarantee success. “But what we’re interested in is the long-run properties [. . .] If you follow our strategies, we estimate you would be several points higher in the standings. That can be the difference between making the playoffs and not making the playoffs.”

Swartz also does research into the management side of the game, on topics such as drafting and player contracts, in addition to analysis of game strategies. He, along with graduate student Gerald Smith, is currently interested in developing a system of player evaluation. His system would be an improvement on the age old plus/minus measurement — a bane to many advocates of the use of advanced statistics in hockey.

One of the advantages of sports analytics is that it allows students to apply classroom lessons to real world problems. “You’re learning all of the statistical theory and methods but you’re applying them to sports problems,” said Swartz. He also pointed out that sports analytics have funnelled some of his students into jobs at hospitals and government organizations.

Aside from the accompanying career opportunities, Swartz admitted to The Peak that what is truly fulfilling about sports analytics comes from the love of the game. “I get lots of requests to supervise students who want to work on sports problems,” said Swartz. “This is a lot of fun working in this area.”

I have a pretty thick skin and am really self-conscious about it

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May 4, 2014

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I can take a joke as well as the next guy. I’ve got a sense a humour, and I’m fine with the occasional ribbing. If you want to make fun of the goofy way I dress or tease me about how much I love the Oak Ridge Boys, I’m totally cool with it.

But there’s one thing that I’m honestly really sensitive about and that’s my thick skin. It’s just not something I can control so it burns me up when people feel the need to make comments about it.

Having a thick skin makes things hard enough, let alone having to deal with all the “jokes” about it. It already makes it hard for me to experience life the way most people do. I feel temperatures more extremely, I sweat more than most people and I’ve never experienced the joy of bleeding.

So, I’m sorry, I just don’t like to get any shit about it from a bunch of thin-skinned wiseacres who don’t have a clue what it’s like to have a little extra meat around the hypodermis.

Having a thick skin makes things hard enough, let alone having to deal with all the ribbing about it.

I’m so sick of people pointing at me, asking if they can touch my arm or punching me and then asking whether I can feel it behind my thick skin. Yes, I feel it, in fact I feel it more than most people.

You know where else I feel? In my heart, just like the rest of you. Even with my thick skin, I still have feelings.

Again, I don’t mind if you give me a hard time sometimes about things that I choose to do but I can’t control how my skin is. This is just the way I was born.

I guess you could say that making fun of my abnormally thick skin is kind of like my achilles heel. Unfortunately unlike the story of Achilles and the heel that led him to great fame and fortune, this is holding me back.

Every time somebody yells out “hey, thick skin” or does an impression of me by bundling up the skin on their arm, it really cuts me deep, so deep that even someone like me might lose a little blood.

I’m not asking people to always be pleasant about everything. You should definitely make fun of people if they’re acting abnormal or are different in any way in comparison to mainstream society but this issue is out of my hands.

I know I’ve got thick skin. I always have and I always will, but it’d be nice if people could just lay off a little because I’m really, really sensitive about it.